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| What You Can Do - ACTION ALERT ACTION ALERT TO SAVE
VALUABLE OPEN SPACE
Letters, emails, or calls. to any or all of the following would be helpful:
Professor Richard Brewer, a founding member of Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones, is the single person most familiar with the ecology and history of the Asylum Lake area. Here is his summary of the "most pertinent" points to be made:
Further information is available at Richard Brewer's
web site: richardbrewer.org. Here's an excellent summary recently prepared by Ladislav R. Hanka for the Asylum Lake Preservation Association. POSITION: ALPA has a narrow focus of responsibility to the citizens of Kalamazoo and Oshtemo, to the Environmental Council and to its sister environmental organizations to safeguard the agreement we as a community made on the ultimate disposition of the state hospital grounds at Asylum Lake. The debate lasted from 1990 until 1993, was bitter and repeated itself in 1999 with the development of the BTR Park at Lee Baker Farm. We see no compelling reason to disregard the compromise to which all agreed, in order to begin that acrimonious decision-making process anew. HISTORICAL ABSTRACT: The 1977 legislation (public act 158, section 3) conveys all the Asylum Lake properties (including the Orchard) to WMU but limits the University to using the property solely "for public park, recreation or open space purposes, except that the legislature, by statute, may authorize Western Michigan University to utilize the property for some other public purpose". Sale of the property to private developers is an idiosyncratic interpretation of public purpose, but in the great compromise of 1999, we all agreed to allow development of the engineering campus and BTR Park to proceed at the Lee Baker Farm uncontested and without further interference in exchange for an end to the battle and long-term protection of the remaining open space. To abrogate that compromise unilaterally, would be an unacceptable breach of a contract made in good faith, and changing the open space status of any of the remaining land is only acceptable by consensus - with the agreement of all interested parties. THE CURRENT PROBLEM: HB 5207, sponsored by Rep. Robert Jones, has been reported out of his committee and could come to a vote in the House at any time. The bill would lift deed restrictions on the Orchard and allow the BTR Park to extend onto protected open space. The bill has been prepared in secrecy, coupled with public denials that the process has been taking place, and then submitted during the summer recess when it is difficult to assemble a quorum to hold meetings and public discussions. The bill is being purposely rushed through without proper input or agreement of the interested parties to the original compromise. There is, however, no compelling need for taking precipitous action, as the BTR park is not filled to capacity and the potential for infilling of the substantial open spaces there is substantial. The process is being manipulated in ways that are undemocratic, against the greater interests of the community, and completely unacceptable. Linkage of dissimilar issues: The lifting of deed restrictions on the Colony Farm Orchard is furthermore being tied together with two dissimilar properties, Noble Lodge, formerly a part of the Kalamazoo State Hospital on Oakland Drive, and Fairmont Park. The other two properties both involve unoccupied and potentially hazardous structures whose repair is not controversial - neither is their disposition constrained by agreements with city, township and citizens' committees. Tying these properties together in "linked" bills is improper. Location: There are many alternatives available which would engender no controversy. The Bronson Biotech Campus and Kalamazoo's riverfront development are excellent projects, which need these very kinds of high quality employers as anchor organizations moving in. There are plenty of available brown-fields and established industrial parks in need of paying tenants, both in Kalamazoo and in Oshtemo townships. Many of these areas have nearby working class and minority neighborhoods in need of employment opportunities. There is therefore no need to break new ground and very compelling social/economic reasons to look at alternative sites. Size: The proposed parcel is only 54 acres and would house few new businesses if developed in a similar fashion to the low-density Lee-Baker Farm. Springs, wetlands, buffer strips and the extensive leaf composting station would reduce that usable acreage even more. Better to build infrastructure on land that can accommodate many years of growth and which is uncontested in its assigned use. Environmental value of the Orchard: The Colony Farm Orchard is important to the integrity of the rest of the Asylum Lake preserve across Drake Rd, as a sound and sight buffer against US-131. It serves as a significant water-source with springs and seeps that feed clean water into Asylum Lake. The Orchard also constitutes about 16.5% of the 328 acre Asylum Lake preserve and though separated by Drake Rd from the larger body of the preserve, it has significant biological richness which contributes to the genetic flow within the whole preserve. Asylum Lake would be a smaller and more isolated island of biota and more vulnerable to local extinctions if its size were reduced once again. The orchard property is largely returning to savanna and has typical old-field biota. It is a remnant of the Genesee Prairie, which has been declared by Oshtemo Township as an area of interest concern. Although little remains of the original Genesee Prairie and none of it is untouched, there are several areas where local genetic variants of the indigenous species should still be found. Railroad beds, roadsides and graveyards are typical places to find native grasslands species, yet in Oshtemo twp, one must assume that these have all been subject to repeated herbicide/pesticide applications. The Orchard is by far the largest expanse of Genesee Prairie that is in a relatively natural state, and because it has not been planted with species from exotic sources, the Orchard is the most likely land of the original Genesee Prairie to harbor significant locally adapted genotypes. Scientific value of the Orchard: The entomological studies done on the Colony Orchard Farm came at substantial cost to the taxpayers of Michigan and constitute a 45 year-old baseline of data which can never be replaced and which should not be so casually dismissed. MSU scientists tried very hard to gain possession of the properties in 1973, claiming that research being done in the orchard and vineyard was critical to the future of agriculture in Michigan. These claims and the usefulness of an uninterrupted baseline of scientific data to entomologists, agronomists, environmental scientists and ecologists need to be assessed before the property is irrevocably disrupted by building. Archeological Value of the Orchard: Based upon the archeological assessment presented in 2003 by the Department of Anthropology of WMU, the orchard is predominantly "an area of high sensitivity, with a high potential for subsurface archaeological remains". (Approximately the northern third and the southern third are high sensitivity areas and the central portion is listed as moderately sensitive). According to the survey; "The geographic and environmental characteristics of the areas surrounding the Preserve were attractive settlement locales that are likely to contain evidence of pre-contact, Native American activities in the form of artifacts and features (e.g., hearths, storage pits)". Certainly being within the Genesee Prairie, which had been maintained as a prairie by Native American controlled burning practices for milennia, and close to the lake would raise the issue of pre-settlement archeological sites and possible Native American burial sites with human remains. A thorough archeological survey would be required before any excavation for industrial development could even be contemplated. The other significant historical connection would be Enoch Harris (1784-1870), an interesting early pioneer in Kalamazoo who knew Johny Appleseed and is said to have brought up plantings from Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and planted the first apple orchard in Kalamazoo. He was a mulatto about whose life little is known, whether he was an escaped slave or born free, involved in underground railway activity or not. There was, however, underground railway activity throughout southern Michigan and very well-documented as close by as Schoolcraft. The Harris family were the first African-American settlers in Kalamazoo and well positioned financially and socially to do what they wanted. Enoch Harris is buried in the Genesee Prairie Cemetery on Parkview. A thorough archeological investigation of the extended site should really precede any thoughts of construction. Recreational value of the Orchard: The Colony Farm Orchard is furthermore important to the Kalamazoo/Oshtemo community as open space for dispersed recreation - not just today, but in anticipation of the needs of a growing population in a city where open space is already below projected future needs. There are plenty of other areas for industrial development, but contiguous areas are important for wildlife and plant distribution and irreplaceable once lost. Legacy: The land was conveyed to WMU and its status as open space repeatedly defended by popular local senators Robert and Jack Welborn. This is their legacy. It is graceless and unbecoming of a civilized society to dishonor its former leaders and ancestors. Summary: The Colony Farm Orchard as open space and as a biological preserve is irreplaceable. It appears to also have substantial scientific and archeological value, which must be more thoroughly assessed and not casually dismissed. In contrast, the economic value of the Orchard as industrial park can easily be met by many alternative locations already zoned for that use. Opting for the socially responsible alternative of redeveloping brown-fields is furthermore appropriate to the university's public mission, in the long-term interest of the greater community and will engender no conflict. Because state universities are not subject to city laws or zoning restrictions, the current legislative deed restrictions are the strongest guarantee we have that the Colony Farm Orchard will remain in its intended and mutually agreed-upon status. In my own letter to the KALAMAZOO GAZETTE, FEB.
7, 1995, on development of the BTR park on the Lee Baker Farm, I conclude
that continued development of WMU properties, with massive loss of public
open space, leads to "diminished quality of life, ruined habitat
for animals, embittered citizens, and vexation of spirit through the community."
--Tom Small The Threat of Cap-and-Trade Legislation
Friends, Another notable against cap-and-trade, Jim Hansen, has personally endorsed our United Against Cap-and-Trade campaign. Jim is the world's pre-eminent climate scientist. He is the director of NASA's Goddard Space Institute. He was the first to testify before Congress about global warming in 1988. He is one of our few climate scientists whom Bush could not fire or shut up. Jim says, "Cap-and-Trade is the Temple of Doom." http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=12371 He says cap-and-trade is a "subterfuge designed to allow business-as-usual to continue, under a pretense of action... "It's just greenwash. I would rather the forthcoming Copenhagen climate talks fail than we agree to a bad deal. http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/009079.html. We salute Jim's recent direct action in West Virginia when he and others blocked an entrance to a mountaintop removal site. He was arrested for his bold efforts to salvage our Livable Planet. http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200906230449 As an alternative to cap-and-trade, we promote no-escape caps plus bold, progressive carbon taxes with low-income exemptions and a 100% dividend for many individuals. We are inspired by the Occupation Project of 2006. Created by Medea Benjamin and Code Pink, it was a national campaign to resist the War in Iraq. Its chief tactic: occupying local and national offices of federal legislators who continued to vote for war funding. Some occupiers chose to be arrested. Some did not. It was a powerful campaign stretching coast-to-coast. It garnered national press attention and the attention of many U.S. senators and representatives. Occupying senate offices now, we think, will make maximum impact in the little time we have to resist federal cap-and-trade. It will open doors and promote dialogue - and maybe change votes. We plan to couple office occupying with street rallies and signature gathering. While our strategy of occupying senatorial offices is one focus, it need not be the only one. We want and need your ideas about how to craft the campaign in your area. Remember, Congress will be in recess most of August. Many senators will be back home where they may be vulnerable. Time is crucial. As you know, the House has already passed Waxman/Markey. The Senate will take up its cap-and-trade version in October. Obama has promised to sign cap-and-trade legislation. We need to target 100 senators. If each of us "adopt" a senator to lobby/protest/sit-in, we can create a powerful presence. The outcome in the Senate is not a sure thing for the cap-and-trade advocates. If we can swing a few votes, we could make a huge difference! Paraphrasing Jim Hansen, a bad climate deal is much worse than no deal at all. If we try later to build on a ‘subterfuge', we still have a subterfuge. We must act now. Please consider joining as eduffb@hotmail.coman organizer in your area. If the U.S. adopts cap-and-trade, all Earthly creatures are in peril. Let us hear from you. Please forward this to your listserves. Thanks. About me and One Earth:
Some of the media coverage of One Earth's recent successes opposing food-based biofuels:
Go to www.foe.org, to take action on:
Here's a MESSAGE FROM FRIENDS OF THE
EARTH: But we ran into a big obstacle: the Obama administration stood in the way. Call on the administration NOW to do better. If you're like me, one of the things you celebrated last November was the end to eight years of go-it-alone policies from George Bush. The election was supposed to mean the U.S. would once again start playing a leadership role in forging consensus solutions to global problems. But as countries met here this week, we saw something completely different. Instead of leading, the Obama administration's representatives sounded frighteningly similar to what we heard in previous years from the administration of George Bush. The U.S. has responsibility as, historically, the world's largest greenhouse gas polluter to lead the way in solving the climate crisis. But our country's delegation, led by the State Department, failed to commit to its fair share of global pollution reductions, and failed to provide necessary support to less affluent countries as they address climate impacts and transition to cleaner economies. Write to Secretary of State Clinton (foe.org) and demand leadership that produces a strong and fair agreement to solve the climate crisis. Already, small island nations are disappearing as seas rise, and climate changes are causing crop failures all over the globe, making it harder for families to put food on the table. If we don't act quickly, impacts like these will only worsen. There's still time to solve this problem. We can do it. But we need leadership from the United States, and we need it now, before it is too late for our planet and its people. Please contact Secretary Clinton today (go to www.foe.org). Thanks for all you do to fight for the health of our planet. Your ally, Karen Orenstein, Friends of the Earth www.foe.org New Scientific Report Reinforces Urgency
for Strong, Immediate Action on Climate Change "There are in some cases already serious consequences,"
says University of Maryland Professor Anthony Janetos, co-author of the
report. "This is not a theoretical thing that will happen 50 years
from now. Things are happening now." The report, Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States, breaks down climate impacts region-by-region. In addition to the human toll, the report reinforces the dire threat American wildlife faces in a warming world. The Northeast:
The Southeast:
The Midwest:
The Great Plains:
The Southwest:
The Northwest:
The foregoing information is from the Associated Press and from the Environmental Defense Fund. We urge you to take action through the web site of FRIENDS OF THE EARTH, which has a much stronger position than does EDF. Issues: Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy Every member of the House should be urged to:
To send a message to YOUR Congressional representative,
go to http://action.fcnl.org/r/73750/30818/0
and click on the "Urge your representative" button. Birds' Movements Reveal Global Warming in
Action - Species Wintering Farther North Show Need for Policy Change Analyses of citizen-gathered data from the past 40 years reveal that 58 percent of the 305 widespread species that winter on the continent shifted significantly north since 1968, some by hundreds of miles. Movement was detected among species of every type. "Birds are showing us how the heavy hand of humanity is tipping the balance of nature and causing ecological disruption in ways we are just beginning to predict and comprehend," said report co-author and Audubon Director of Bird Conservation, Greg Butcher. "Experts predict that global warming will mean dire consequences, even extinction, for many bird species, and this analysis suggests that the process leading down that path is already well underway," warned Audubon President John Flicker. "We're witnessing an uncontrolled experiment on the birds and the world we share with them." "People hear about melting glaciers and changing weather," added Flicker, "but now they can witness the impact global warming is having with the birds they see or don't see right outside their doors. These birds are our 'canaries in the coal mine' and they're telling us that we'd better do something fast to curb global warming and to protect habitat." [More than 80 percent of U.S. plants and animals studied are shifting their ranges because of warming. In addition, the destruction of Canadian boreal forests in order to extract petroleum from tar sands will affect the migration - and the lives - of millions of birds. More than birds are on the move: Global warming is changing the distribution, abundance and diversity of marine life in the polar seas with "profound" implications for creatures further up the food chain. Source: "Warming Seas Push Species to the Poles," UK Guardian Weekly, 2/27/09, p. 30.] Americans can sign a petition at http://www.birdsandclimate.org/ to demand aggressive federal policy action. TAKE A STAND FOR SURVIVAL - A Call from Bill
McKibben and 350.org. At the UN Climate talks in Poland one thing has become heartbreakingly apparent: for some people, these negotiations aren't just about numbers and compromise and diplomacy. For some people, these negotiations are about survival. For many peoples of the earth, "survival" is not an abstract concept, or some distant problem for future generations. It's a matter of countries and peoples getting quite literally wiped off the map within decades. It's a matter of human lives and livelihoods being destroyed by the impacts of climate change here and now. Here's the worst part: the countries facing the biggest impacts of climate change are also the countries with the least leverage at the United Nations talks in Poznan. The countries fighting on the front lines of climate change are struggling to get the attention they deserve. Last week 49 of the world's most vulnerable countries endorsed the 350 target that the latest science calls for. If we come together, we can amplify the voices of the people who are most threatened by climate change. Please take a stand for survival by signing the pledge at http://www.350.org/survival Your messages will go directly to world leaders in a high-profile delivery on the last day of the negotiations (tomorrow, Dec. 12). We can make the "survival principle" a key message of the UN negotiations. And upon that principle, the world can build an equitable global climate agreement around science-based targets--targets like 350, the safe upper limit of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. We can prevent a climate catastrophe (see the News story below: "Climate Juggernaut on the Horizon, UN Talks Told"). Take the pledge at 350.org/survival. OPPOSE THE USDA
PROPOSAL TO DEREGULATE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CROPS - A Call from the
Organic Consumers Association Learn more & take action at http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26307 SAY NO TO
COAL! Stop More Dangerous Coal Plant Emissions! The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) is accepting public comments on the coal plants before it makes a final decision. You may submit YOUR public comment at wearemichigan.com/CleanEnergyNow/index.html. To sign a petition to Gov. Granholm, urging her to issue an executive order that prevents the permitting of more coal plants until stronger protections are put in place against dangerous carbon dioxide pollution, go to http://www.ecocenter.org/takeaction/nocoal.php SAY YES TO A CARBON TAX
How is a carbon tax better than cap-and-trade? Cap and trade is a complex, hidden carbon tax that would require fossil fuel producers to buy permits at auction or on a ''market." But auctioning and trading of permits, much like trading of stocks, commodities, real estate or hedge funds involves price volatility and manipulation. The market for carbon permits would shift in response to changes in energy supply and demand, the perceptions of traders and those who bought pollution permits for investments, and speculative manipulation. Permits under the EPA cap-and-trade program for sulfur emissions have jumped as much as 50% in a month. Predictable prices under a simple and gradually increasing carbon tax would help everyone plan and invest more effectively. A carbon tax could be implemented quickly, while cap-and-trade systems involve struggles over allocating the permits and setting an agreed-upon cap. Cap-and-trade systems typically do not return the revenue but instead represent a hidden tax. Current proposals divert revenue to the very same polluters that they are intended to curb.
To sign a petition and send a letter to Congress people and others expressing support for a carbon tax, go to www.pricecarbon.org. |
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